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Spring Valley still concerned about dilapidated building

SPRING VALLEY — There’s still no fence around a dangerous Spring Valley building that may fall down at any moment. The Spring Valley City Council wants to change that.

“I’m afraid someone is going to get hurt,” Mayor Cliff Banks said. “We need to get something around it.”

According to city engineer Jack Kusek, the building at 200 E. St. Paul St. is in dire need of repair. Severe water damage has left the floor completely rotted, and there his hardly any real mortar left in the brickwork. The estimated cost to fix the building is around $200,000. The floor will mostly like go first with the rest of the building falling in on itself.

In December, the council voted to ask the owner to place a fence around the building to protect people. The owner did not comply, so this month the council ordered the city to purchase a fence and place it around the front of the building.

The city has been trying to work with the owner of the building since 2011 when a fire broke out, and the fire chief refused to let anyone enter the building because of its condition. The city recently found out the building was sold sometime in November, and they are trying to contact the new owner.

The city will pay for the fence but will likely seek restitution from the owner.

In other business:

• There has been considerable work done to the Circus Bar building in the downtown area. Banks said he was impressed with what they have been doing, and that if the building can’t be rented out, the owners have a “real big plan” for the building.

• Illinois Department of Transportation officials will be at the City Hall from 4 to 7 p.m. Jan. 15 to continue discussion of the upcoming bridge construction project.

• Banks also discussed plans that the Walleye Club have at Barto Landing. Banks, who is also a member of the Walleye Club, said the club is working on Phase I for improvements to the site, and planning has already began on Phase 2, which will include a new parking lot. Banks said eventually the club would like to put in a camping area with possibly extending the city’s water and sewer lines to it.

• There will be a Spring Valley Finance Committee meeting at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 17.

• The council passed a supplemental resolution allowing for $26,570 of the Motor Fuel Tax fund be used for work done on Cleveland Street. The council also renewed loans at Spring Valley City Bank and Heartland Bank for the City Hall construction.